"Teachers looking for a concise guide to implementing problem-based learning in math and science classrooms: This book is for you!" -Debra Gerdes, Professional Development Leader Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy "The purpose of problem-based learning is to emphasize meaning making over fact collecting. With this method, Diane Ronis has written a book that is well equipped to produce self-motivated and independent lifelong learners!" -Katie Morrow, Technology Integration Specialist O'Neill Public Schools, NE Increase students' skills and content retention in math and science! What's the best way to create a real-world instructional environment where students are involved in firsthand experiences and where important ideas are connected to meaningful life events that help deepen learners' understanding? Diane Ronis demonstrates how the problem-based learning (PBL) method gives students the opportunity to actively explore and resolve authentic problem simulations and student-identified problems in the community while strengthening their problem-solving skills. Updated throughout, this second edition illustrates how to use the PBL inquiry process with Internet resources to create an integrated instructional environment, and also provides: Problem-based learning activities relating to math and science in each chapter Projects that correlate to national science, mathematics, and technology standards Student handouts, evaluation forms, and all the information necessary for successful project completion Problem-Based Learning for Math and Science, Second Edition, is the perfect resource for educators who want to expand their teaching repertoire and shift instruction from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered perspective.
"This book provides a wealth of information for teachers who are seeking new ways to meet the needs of all learners for high academic achievement!" -Marguerita K. DeSander, Assistant Professor of Leadership and Policy Studies The George Washington University "Using this book as part of the alignment process will greatly enhance any classroom curriculum!" -Joen M. Painter, Education Consultant Develop integrated, meaningful units that engage students and address multiple standards! Using a student-oriented approach, Clustering Standards in Integrated Units, Second Edition, offers guidelines for designing interdisciplinary units that combine content areas, address standards, and involve students in their own learning and assessment. Diane L. Ronis offers a framework for organizing, implementing, and evaluating units and provides sample rubrics, templates, and reproducibles for the planning process. Drawing on a constructivist approach and geared to meet students' individual learning needs, the text demonstrates how to: Integrate content across multiple curriculum areas Make instruction meaningful using new information about how the brain works Encourage students to pose and investigate questions relevant to the real world Access specific Web sites for meeting state standards This book helps seasoned and novice teachers facilitate collaborative learning with teams of students and assist them in making significant connections between their own experiences and events in the real world.
"Teachers looking for a concise guide to implementing problem-based learning in math and science classrooms: This book is for you!" -Debra Gerdes, Professional Development Leader Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy "The purpose of problem-based learning is to emphasize meaning making over fact collecting. With this method, Diane Ronis has written a book that is well equipped to produce self-motivated and independent lifelong learners!" -Katie Morrow, Technology Integration Specialist O'Neill Public Schools, NE Increase students' skills and content retention in math and science! What's the best way to create a real-world instructional environment where students are involved in firsthand experiences and where important ideas are connected to meaningful life events that help deepen learners' understanding? Diane Ronis demonstrates how the problem-based learning (PBL) method gives students the opportunity to actively explore and resolve authentic problem simulations and student-identified problems in the community while strengthening their problem-solving skills. Updated throughout, this second edition illustrates how to use the PBL inquiry process with Internet resources to create an integrated instructional environment, and also provides: Problem-based learning activities relating to math and science in each chapter Projects that correlate to national science, mathematics, and technology standards Student handouts, evaluation forms, and all the information necessary for successful project completion Problem-Based Learning for Math and Science, Second Edition, is the perfect resource for educators who want to expand their teaching repertoire and shift instruction from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered perspective.
Clustering Standards in Integrated Units presents frameworks and other instruments to aid both seasoned and novice teacher professionals in designing interdisciplinary instruction by: Developing learning activities that are aligned with instructional goals and standards Selecting appropriate instructional materials and resources that spark interest and facilitate individual connections to promote meaning and understanding Evaluating student performance using an instrument that recognizes students' varied approaches to learning, knowledge bases, and cultural and language backgrounds while maintaining high expectations for all. The book offers sample rubrics, templates, strategies for organizing a unit, and blackline masters for each of the planning instruments discussed. Educators will learn to: Plan and implement units that integrate content across multiple curriculum areas Make instruction meaningful through the use of new information learned about the brain Develop interdisciplinary lesson plans
"Real learning is deeply personal. It requires that learners participate meaningfully in the ideas and subjects that they explore as they shape and reshape what they know and want to know. Diane Ronis has written a book that brings coherence and intelligence to understanding how to assess such learning." -From the Foreword by Renate Nummela Caine Give students a clear roadmap for future success! Each student, unique in his or her ability to learn, acquires processes and demonstrates knowledge individually. Building upon this premise, Diane Ronis, a recognized expert in brain-compatible learning and assessment, goes beyond the world of standardized testing to show educators how to build and use targeted assessments based on the latest neuroscientific research. Updated to reflect recent findings about how the brain learns, Brain-Compatible Assessments, Second Edition, provides readers with revised tools for assessing achievement in ways that allow for brain differences within any classroom setting. Showing teachers how to construct rubrics that are based on standards and reflect principles of brain-compatible learning, this second edition: Applies brain research to improve formative and summative assessment in the classroom Provides how-to's for designing top quality rubrics Incorporates computer technologytools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity Educators will discover how to effectively apply practical high-level assessments in a standards-based environment to help all students realize their potential and succeed.
Recharge your math instruction with brain-friendly teaching units! Students' brains are wired to make them natural, curious learners. The mathematical world around them offers a vast classroom, filled with shapes, spaces, quantities, and experiences to discover and explore, all leading to the construction of understanding. Teachers can use this natural curiosity to tap the inborn neural mechanisms that motivate students to learn-to make relevance and meaning of their surroundings. Brain-Compatible Mathematics, Second Edition bridges the findings from the realms of brain research and improved mathematics instruction through updated teaching samples, connections to the most recent standards, newest research findings, and integration to other content areas. Each brain is different, and when teachers teach problem-solving skills to help students arrive at their own solution paths, students go beyond mere memorization of facts and algorithms to being an actual participant in the development of mathematical understanding. In an informative and relevant approach, Diane Ronis presents teachers and math leaders with an emphasis on thinking, mathematical representation, and construction of ideas and an abundance of: Sample lessons, units, and strategies linked to 2000 NCTM standards Brain-friendly strategies for math teaching that meet NCLB requirements How-to guides for creating more brain-tuned math teaching Ideas for incorporating technology into the math curriculum Planning templates for immediate use By integrating math learning into real-world applications, students can actively practice what they learn, make meaning out of their everyday experiences, and think mathematically for success within today's information age.
Recharge your math instruction with brain-friendly teaching units! Students' brains are wired to make them natural, curious learners. The mathematical world around them offers a vast classroom, filled with shapes, spaces, quantities, and experiences to discover and explore, all leading to the construction of understanding. Teachers can use this natural curiosity to tap the inborn neural mechanisms that motivate students to learn-to make relevance and meaning of their surroundings. Brain-Compatible Mathematics, Second Edition bridges the findings from the realms of brain research and improved mathematics instruction through updated teaching samples, connections to the most recent standards, newest research findings, and integration to other content areas. Each brain is different, and when teachers teach problem-solving skills to help students arrive at their own solution paths, students go beyond mere memorization of facts and algorithms to being an actual participant in the development of mathematical understanding. In an informative and relevant approach, Diane Ronis presents teachers and math leaders with an emphasis on thinking, mathematical representation, and construction of ideas and an abundance of: Sample lessons, units, and strategies linked to 2000 NCTM standards Brain-friendly strategies for math teaching that meet NCLB requirements How-to guides for creating more brain-tuned math teaching Ideas for incorporating technology into the math curriculum Planning templates for immediate use By integrating math learning into real-world applications, students can actively practice what they learn, make meaning out of their everyday experiences, and think mathematically for success within today's information age.
Formerly a SkyLight publication. Taking students beyond simple computation to think critically in math is necessary for students to meet today's math standards. Excerpted from Brain-Compatible Mathematics, this booklet includes author Diane Ronis' wheel of problem-solving strategies, plus a seven-step process for approaching and solving complicated problems-giving students a variety of ways to approach, analyze, and think critically about mathematics problems.
